Auwal Rafsanjani, the executive director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and head of Transparency International Nigeria, has described Nigeria’s democracy as a work in progress.
Mr Rafsanjani stated this at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series on Sunday in Abuja.
Mr Rafsanjani said that achieving democratic tenets is a process, stressing that it will continue until responsible and responsive governance and leaders are put at the centre stage.
“We should be able to overcome some of the challenges that are making Nigeria have difficulties in terms of our governance structures.
“It is a journey; it is a process, and the ability for you to recognise that there is a need for you to address challenges is what will make us achieve our own democratisation.
“One of the things that we have succeeded in doing, even though with a lot of reservations, is that we have consistently held elections, and that is a very important part of the functioning of a democracy.
“Even though there are challenges with those elections, at least we are having regular elections, and that is one.
“Then number two, we are also having regular amendments of our laws when we notice there is a need to address those laws,” he said.
Mr Rafsanjani also acknowledged that Nigeria operates a multi-party system.
“We must ensure that we continue with that so that Nigerians can have options and opportunities to decide and choose which party they will want to belong to or they will want to bring into power at local, state and national levels.
“Another issue has to do with improving the systems that we have in the country to make Nigerian democracy stronger and more viable,” he said.
On the defection of some politicians and political office holders to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the fear being expressed in certain quarters that Nigeria might be tilting towards a one-party state, Mr Rafsanjani said this was not an enough indicator for a one-party state.
“In my opinion, the defection that is going on cannot necessarily lead to a one-party state.
“As people are decamping, some people are also sustaining those parties they left, and the law has not outlawed members of any political party from defecting to other parties.
“So I believe that those who are defecting, you cannot stop them from doing so when they make up their minds that they will leave, but the political parties still exist, which is very important,” he stated.
(NAN)